Chiropractors

I used to think they were quacks until I met several people at work who had had success treating migraine headaches. They recommended a local chiropractor and I started seeing him several years ago. The initial treatments were frequent, but the headaches became fewer and fewer. Now I can go once per month, and I have far fewer headache days and when I do have headaches they are less severe. For me it is worth the time and money to go once per month.

I love my chiropractor. He is about movement...it is not just about x-rays...it is about muscles and how muscle groups work together.
If you have been going several times and do not notice a difference then you may want to change Dr's.

I've been going to my Chiro for over a year and I was refered to her by a friend of mine. They first take an X-ray of your spine and neck. Then she measures the electical pulse through the muscels while you are standing to see if your muscles are over comensating. Then they come up with a treatment plan and this is where you can tell her how often you can come.

I found out that my neck doesn't have the normal curve in it. Apparently going head first into an oak tree while sleding or going head over handlebars on a bike are bad things. I started with once a week treatments then I moved to everyother week. She also adjusts my bad knees to keep the pain away. I also get wrist adjustments so I don't have to deal with carple tunnel isues.

I've gone to Drs before and most of the time I have the option of wearing braces and popping pills. Some suggest surgery, which is very scary to me. Ever since I started to see my Chiro my pain level has gone down. Plus, if I pay cash she charges less then the copay from the insurance company. She even refused to deal with my insurance company because they want us to pay more then she will charge us.

I actually went to a fantastic Chiropractor for physical therapy after a bad fall several years ago. He uses the Graston Technique (or did at the time) and I'd heard such good things about him from a co-worker that I decided to give it a try. The treatments helped speed my healing and he also would do adjustments if he noticed I was off kilter (usually right before my period). It impressed me that he could tell just by looking at the way I was holding myself.

Honestly though, I've heard plenty of folks who haven't had great experiences. I guess it's just one of those things.

OP, I think in your case, if you're not getting results than go to someone else. IMHO, it's no different than an MD or dentist that you're not satisfied with. There are plenty of others out there!

I love mine. He only charges 25$ for an adjustment (without insurance) because we struggle financially and have been going to him for so long. He's the nicest guy you could meet. But he doesn't just do adjustments, he does physical therapy as well. There's also a masseuse there. I think it works great if your issues are due to skeletal misalignment.

Nerve problems are not always remedied by chiropractic adjustments - and if you have a good chiro, he / she will tell you this if / when they don't see improvement after a reasonable period of time.

My husband has a serious amount of pain in his neck from a misaligned vertebrae, which has caused a pinched nerve, and there's a permanent knot in the surrounding muscle there. Unfortunately, unless he can go to the chiro 2-3 times a week for treatment and adjustments, it will never be put right, and even at 25$ per adjustment, it's just not in our budget right now.

I messed up my hip several years ago by stepping off a step the wrong way and was in agony. I had to get adjusted 6-7 times before it felt okay again, and the first 2 adjustments were very painful, but they worked and I didn't have to go back for it after the last one. I do go periodically for my shoulder / ribs / back / and hips being out of place. Usually I don't have to go more than 1-2 times for things like that. I think chiropractors are a great resource but definitely not a cure all for anything. I would much rather go to a chiro a few times a year than have pins put in to keep my hips from popping out of place (which is what most other doctors recommend with repeated hip joint problems like mine). Seriously... risky surgery or 5 minutes on a chiro table 2-3 times a year.... easy choice for me.